Years Ahead
by Roland127
Summary: A quick one off I wrote of my OC and his future. You might have to read the original fanfic I wrote to understand some of the references, but you could always try anyway. This might not be the actual ending to my other fanfic, I just had a severe craving to write about futures and children and all that. Hope you guys enjoy.


An ear-splitting beeping pulled Roland from his dreams, the man letting out a sigh as he felt the enjoyable world slip away as he was forced to reenter the real one. He shook his head in trying to clear his mind, his hand fumbling over his bedside table until it found the small alarm clock. Unable to find the small button, Roland simply grabbed the annoying contraption and flung it across the room, hearing it land with a satisfying crash as it hit the wall.

It was pitch black in the room, and a normal person wouldn't be able to see their own hand, even if it was centimeters from their face. But Roland wasn't a normal person, and one perk about his powers was incredible night vision, almost as good as the faunas. He pushed himself up, leaning his head side to side as he felt his spine let out relieving cracks and pops. He was always tense after sleeping on his stomach, but the man didn't mind that much.

Groggily he stepped out of bed, running a hand through his hair as he checked the time on his scroll. _Six am, which means I've got two hours… _He tossed the small machine to his side and headed for the bathroom, stopping to grab a set of clothes from his closet as he went.

Roland's bedroom was fairly large, with more than enough space to accommodate his queen sized bed, two dressers and desk. The windows were covered by thick curtains, something Roland had done personally as he still hated bright lights, and he had even removed each and every light bulb from the room.

Roland showered quickly, having broken his habit of taking unnecessarily long showers years ago, and was soon changing into his regular combat clothes. He still owned little in the way of casual attire, feeling that so long as he had a clean set of the black clothes he would never need anything else.

He combed his long hair, making sure to get out all the tangles and brush it slightly to the side so that it lightly covered his left eye in its usual fashion. Roland ran a hand across his chin, looking in the mirror and wondering if he needed to shave or if it would be best to leave it. He decided that it was short enough, and he had always enjoyed having a small amount of facial hair, even if it did little more than make his skin look darker than it really was.

One of his hands ran across the scare that went vertically across his left eye as he looked at the milky white orb that now served as a reminder. He remembered the fight that had nearly cost him his life, shuddering as he relieved the yelling and screaming, the sounds of violence and chaos that had surrounded him. Roland had been lucky to only lose one eye, and he told himself that everyday. "Well, at least it looks cool." He said, feeling his seventeen year old self resurface for a moment, laughing at some of the memories he had gained over the years. "Those were the days."

He left his room as quietly as possible, creeping past the other three doors in the hallway before slowly descending the steps, carefully stepping over the ones that always squeaked. The rest of the house was only slightly lighter than his bedroom was, making it that much easier for Roland as he didn't have to worry about squinting his eyes due to light.

The house he lived in was a good size, consisting of a kitchen, living room, garage, basement, four rooms upstairs, one bathroom downstairs and two upstairs, and an attic. Roland had always felt that it was a little too big, preferring to live in a small, cozy cabin rather that this beast of a home. But everyone else seemed to love it, so Roland had just let it happen.

Roland made it to the kitchen in without making a sound, and went straight to work. He only had an hour and a half to prepare breakfast for four people, which meant that he had to hurry. He pulled out an assortment of pans and ingredients, then started mixing them together in a bowl as he waited for the stove to heat up. Once he was satisfied with the consistency of the batter and the heat of the stove he started pouring his creation into pans, then sat and watched carefully as they started to cook. If there was one specific meal Roland was an expert at cooking it was breakfast, and today's was going to be extra special.

* * *

It was a long and laborious process, but after about an hour, Roland was finished. Before him sat a variety of plates and bowls, each filled with its own food. From oatmeal to french toast, Roland had made every last breakfast food he knew existed, and he felt a sense of accomplishment as he covered the foods with tinfoil, wanting to keep them hot until they were ready to eat.

"They are going to _flip out _when they see this." Roland said to himself, smirking at the thought of his family walking in on a kitchen filled with food. Making food for his friends had always been great, but the look on his kid's faces when they saw plates of homemade pancakes was priceless. Now, all he would have to do is wait. It was Monday, the first day of summer vacation, which meant no school stress for the kids, very few missions for Roland, more time for his friends to visit, and nothing but rest and relaxation for four straight months.

Roland sat down in the din, flopping down into his favorite armchair as he felt his muscles relax. The man was thirty-eight now, but lately his knees and back had been acting like they were fifty, and Roland was starting to consider seeking medical help. The world had all sorts of physical enhancements, and with the overflow of money that came with being a professional hunter Roland could easily get a few extra bits added to his body.

But then again, he would have Ruby constantly asking questions about them. The little brunette was the same age as Roland, physically at least. Mentally that girl seemed to have aged backwards, getting even gooffier the more she grew, if that was even possible. Her attention had spread from weapons to anything that could be used in combat, and considering what poor Penny had gone through after Ruby found out she was an android, Roland was starting to weigh his losses.

_I think I can manage…_

* * *

At exactly eight am Roland heard three sets of feet hit the floor and begin walking around on the floor above him. He couldn't help but smile at how time-punctual his children were. "Like a well-oiled machine." He said, hearing the shower upstairs turn on. Ten minutes later it turned off, then on again, then off in another ten minutes, then on again. He was amazed at the schedule his kids had made, and was especially impressed that they managed to execute it without bickering.

Five minutes later two sets of footsteps stomped down the stairs, followed by a much calmer set of feet. First to pop around the corner was Roland's youngest son, Valerius. Roland may have gone a bit overboard on the name, but he liked its meaning, and found it fitting. The boy was only six, but had his father's looks combined with his mother's attitude. He dragged a black and purple blanket behind him, a gift that Roland had painstakingly crafted for the boy's fourth birthday. Wordlessly the boy walked over to the couch across from Roland and climbed up, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he waited for his siblings to arrive.

Next came his twelve-year-old daughter, Adorabella, or Bella as everyone called her. The girl was a copy of her mother, sporting the same black hair and eyes that Roland had known for so long. She was what was called a full-blooded faunas, a rare occurrence that meant the person had a set of faunas ears and a tail of the same animal. Any children she had that were the same gender as her would always be full-blooded faunas, and any children of the opposite gender would never possess the trait. Roland always thought it was a very strange and confusing genetic code that didn't make any scientific sense, but went along with it anyway. Besides, the small pair of black cat ears and black tail suited the girl. Like her younger brother, she sat down on the couch without saying a word and waited, letting her eyes dart across the room to make sure nothing had changed.

Last but not least came Roland's eldest Orpheus, who had grown to be exactly like his father. With long brown hair and emerald-green eyes, the boy was naturally skinny and tall, but his height had been aided by his love of milk. At fifteen, Orpheus had made his father incredibly proud with his combat capabilities, but to be fair he was the only child old enough to really start hunter training. He used two swords like his father, but preferred a bow and arrow over the old, out of style flintlock pistols. One thing Roland did regret was that his son had inherited his semblance, but so far had avoided bringing harm to those around him. Orpheus was able to control the Heart of Darkness easier than his father, giving him great power, but the child was still fatigued after using it for too long.

Orpheus quickly joined his siblings, choosing to sit on the arm of the couch with one arm resting on a bent knee, very similar to the way his father had sat when he was younger. "Well, I'm guessing you three know what today is?" Roland said, using all his self control to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Summer!" Valerius exclaimed, tossing his small arms up in the air as he nearly hit his sister in the face.

"What the little ball of energy said." Adorabella said, giving her younger brother a light push and laughing as he rolled to the side, looking like a beach ball as he stayed laying down, his head resting against the head of the couch. Roland turned his head to Orpheus, waiting to see how he would respond. Roland lived to hear his son answer questions, loving the way the boy viewed the world around him.

"No dumb and dumber, today is more than _summer. _It's the day that mom is supposed to come home." Orpheus said, staring straight-faced at the two goofballs sitting beside him.

"Ah, there it is. Just as harsh as ever, aren't you Orpheus?" Roland said, unable to keep his lips from curving up slightly as he too watched the younger siblings laugh at each other for no reason.

"They'll thank me for it one day." Orpheus stood up, running a hand through his hair and letting out a deep breath. "Now if I know my father, he has prepared a royal meal for the occasion."

Roland let out a deep laugh. "And of course you know your father all to well. It's all in the kitchen, try not to make a mess."

At the slightest suggestion of food, Adorabella and Valerius darted off, nearly knocking over Orpheus as they raced to the kitchen. "I swear, if you cut them they would bleed pure energy." The eldest said, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched his siblings round a corner and disappear into the kitchen. Roland stood and placed a hand on his son's shoulder, knowing that deep down inside Orpheus was the same way, he just didn't show it.

"Where as that's probably true, lets not put it to the test any time soon. Now go eat, I know you're hungry." Roland patted Orpheus' back as he walked towards the kitchen, laughing at the sounds of his kids exclaiming at the amount of food.

"How do you know I'm hungry?" Orpheus said, his voice full of mock-challenge as he thought he might finally be able to beat his father in the game of witty jokes.

Without even having to think Roland already had his son beaten. "Because, _you always are." _The father said, not even having to turn around to know that he had won.

"Better luck next time kiddo."

* * *

Despite having three kids all eating at once, there was still a massive amount of food left over. "Daddy, why did you make this much food?" Valerius said, his voice muffled by the mouth full pancake that the boy had yet to swallow.

"Well Valerius, very soon some of daddy's friends are coming over, and I thought they would probably be hungry too." Roland said, washing off his plate and then drying off his hands. Valerius' eyes widened at the mention of Roland's friends.

"Aunts and uncles are coming over?" He said, swallowing the food and dropping his fork, completely forgetting about everything else.

"Yup. RWBY and JNPR, and don't forget, mommy will be coming home soon." Roland said, just as excited as his son was to see his old friends. Orpheus was the only one who remembered everyone's names, and so Valerius and Adorabella had simply called teams RWBY and JNPR _aunts and uncles. _Roland didn't mind, as they eight were lifelong friends and had been around the kids just as much as if they were part of the family.

Valerius looked like he was about to explode from the news, and suddenly shot up the stairs in a blur of black, leaving a small trail of ash behind him that quickly dissolved. Orpheus sneezed violently as a large cloud of undissolved ash drifted too close to his face. "I really wish he would stop using his semblance inside. I'm getting sick of sneezing like a sick dog every time he floods the place with ashes." The eldest said, now cleaning off his own plate and setting it in the sink.

"We can only hope. But for now, go get ready, they'll be here soon. And I suggest you get ready, cause you know the kinds of bearhugs Yang gives out." Roland warned, secretly anticipating the moment that the blond brawler dished out her affection. Out of everyone, she had to be the closest to blood relation there was, being one of the few able to occupy Valerius and his seemingly endless supply of energy.

"Yeah yeah, she nearly dislocated my shoulder last time, so its pretty hard to forget." Orpheus set off towards his bedroom, each foot hitting the floor a little harder than normal. Roland simply laughed, remembering the times when he was just as grouchy and sour as his son, then started covering the food back up. He could warm it up with dust later if need be, but for now it was still plenty hot.

_One perk of having kids that eat at the speed of light. _He thought.

* * *

Four knocks sounded on the door, followed by a few rings of the doorbell. "So they let Ruby knock this time…" Roland said to himself, getting up and lazily walking towards the front door. The doorbell sounded a few more times, followed by indecipherable bickering that could only come from Weiss."Still as cold as ever…" Roland watched his kids fly down the stairs, except for Orpheus, who kept his calm composure about him and walked down slowly. Valerius and Adorabella were attempting to stand on each other's shoulders in an attempt to see through the peephole in the door.

"Bella, get off your brother before you two get hurt. I'm not in the mood for a hospital visit today." Roland said, gesturing for his kids to move aside. They moved quickly, giggling to themselves as they stood next to their elder sibling.

Roland pressed his eye to the peephole, wanting to know if he had the chance to play some not of joke. He couldn't stop his jaw from dropping when he saw not only teams RWBY and JNPR, but also his wife, standing in the front of the group, that familiar and adorable smile plastered on her face as she waited patiently. Roland quickly spun around, kneeling down so that he was at his kid's height.

"Wanna play a prank on mommy?" He asked, just as excited as they were as he watched their eyes widen with excitement.

"Yes! Yes!"

"Mommy home?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Roland responded to each of his children in turn. "Glad to know you're on board, yes she is, and no, when do you ever?" He gave his eldest a mischievous glance, smirking as he saw the same desire for trouble sparkle on his son's eyes.

"Now here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna open the door, and you guys are just gonna tackle mommy full on. Theres' grass behind her and she's tough, so don't hold back. Orpheus, you're the driving force, so come in last. If you three can't take her down, I'll _lend a hand." _Roland explained, knowing that his kids would be able to do this perfectly. It wouldn't be the first time they had tackled their mother on the lawn.

"Okay, you all ready?" Roland asked, grabbing a hold of the doorknob and preparing to yank the door open. Three heads gave him eager nods.

"Okay, one…" Valerius got ready to dash.

"Two…" Adorabella estimated where her mother was standing and got ready to run full speed at that one spot.

"Three.." Orpheus couldn't contain his own excitement as he let a small smile escape.

"GO!"

* * *

"He's home, right?" Ruby asked, giving Elisabeth a curious glance. The faunas kept her eyes glued to the door, waiting for it to swing open so she could see her family again.

"Oh, he's home alright. But I suspect he's planning something." Elisabeth said, faintly hearing voices on the other side of the door.

Blake was the first to hear it. "Is that… Counting?"

"Oh Roland you mother fu-" Elisabeth suddenly disappeared as the door flew open, the others seeing little more than a flash of black as they heard something hit the ground behind them. Roland walked out of the house, laughing uncontrollably as he watched his kids latch onto their mother, each one delivering their own bone crushing hug.

"I'm… gonna get you… for this…" Elisabeth said, barely able to breathe as Orpheus wrapped his arms around all of them and squeezed with all his strength.

"Ah, what can I say? You were gone for over a month, I'm honestly surprised your lungs still exist." Roland managed to control his laughter enough to talk, but a few giggles still managed to escape.

Ruby and the others stared in bewilderment. "So, does this happen often?" Yang asked, unable to remember the last time she saw so much affection be dished out on one person.

"Oh, every time she leaves. You think she would have learned by now, but she always makes it so easy." Roland said, crossing his arms over his chest as his family rolled around in the grass. Elisabeth had finally gotten her hands free, and now she returned the hugs and added in a few kisses.

Roland had to ask for the help of Yang and Ruby to pry the overjoyed kids off their mother, Valerius proving the most difficult as he tried to cling to his mother's knees. But the three managed to pull the last kid off, and the teams now started their usual routine of telling the children how much taller they had gotten.

As the stereotypical questions and conversation attempts droned on, Roland helped Elisabeth up. The woman's face was covered in dirt, making her dark purple eyes stand out that much more. She still wore her combat clothes, the bottom and sleeves of the robes in tatters, making it easy for Roland to imagine how his wife's mission had gone.

"Someone didn't hold back on the violence." He grabbed one of her arms and brought it in front of her face, the shreds of cloth cover her eyes and nose as she let out a giggle. "What can I say? I've lived with you for over twenty years, it rubbed off a bit."

"Hm, this is true. Alright, fair excuse, I'll allow it." Roland's voice dropped in volume as he pulled Elisabeth closer, planting a soft kiss of her lips.

Elisabeth was a little surprised initially, still unable to see as Roland had yet to let her arm drop, but relaxed the moment she realized what was happening. She had missed her husband greatly, and being back was a massive relief.

"Eww, mom and dad are kissing again!" Adorabella's voice rang in Roland's ears, causing him to let out a long sigh as he broke the kiss. Elisabeth laughed, remembering the times when she was the reason Roland let out such noises. "Well then, its been at least a year since you let out a sigh of that magnitude." She said, planting a quick kiss on his cheek then walking over to join her friends and family.

"By the way, I suggest you get ready for tonight." Roland said, amused at the speed at which his wife spun back around to face him.

"Why? Whats going on tonight?" Elisabeth said, slightly concerned at what her husband might have planned. Roland walked over and wrapped a hand around her shoulder, pulling her close in mock-affection.

"I've been cooped up in a house with those three-" He pointed to the space on the lawn where his three kids were now trying to beat Yang in a wrestling match. "-for over a month with little to no relief. Tonight, you, me and our friends are going out, and I am getting absolutely _hammered." _He said, kissing Elisabeth on the forehead.

"On a scale of Juan to Yang, how hammered are we talking?" Elisabeth said, partially excited at the opportunity to make fun of a hung over Roland in the morning.

"Oh, I'm talking Yang on drugs." He laughed, ready for a night of relaxation. Or partial relaxation at the least.

Elisabeth felt her eyes widen at the thought of the blond brawler drunk and high, feeling a shiver run down her back as she imagined the destruction. "Please don't ever put that thought in my mind again." She said, poking Roland in the side and laughing as his body jolted away.

"Oh, you little-" For the second time in five minutes Elisabeth was brought to the ground, quickly trying to retaliate against Roland's wrestling challenge. She thought of all the times the two would play-fight during their time at Beacon, but quickly turned her attention back to the man who was trying to pin her to the ground.

It was good to be home.


End file.
